X-COM, Europe Branch
by Garbhan
Summary: The follow up of an X COM operative, Jorah "Handsome", from European division of the X-COM project
1. Introduction - First day

Introduction.

They were all sitting, silent, making the scene seem like the first day of school in a school were you wouldn't know anyone, except maybe by sight, except this feeling would be shared by the entire student category. He had been told to come here as part of his new tour, and await further orders upon his task to come. Entered a man in his fatigues, slapping his navy blue beret in his hand. Jorah didn't recognize the insignia it upheld, and his camouflage pattern was definitely not American nor British. A few steps and he looked at the room filled with now attention, eyes following him dutifully. After a second, making sure he had the ears of each and every one, he spoke in a loud and clear voice, with a thick French accent:

- Stand up!

And they rose, all together.

-Garde à vous!

And all fell in attention. His voice was booming through the entire conference room as if it were a mere closet, making his pronunciation clear, loud and powerful. While studying him, Jorah found no rank on his right shoulder, nor on his collar. No tag or badge that would make this man, this soldier, known to be affiliated to any combat group he had encountered. Before Jorah furthered his thinking, a woman entered the room, and studied it from the entrance. Not like a scared animal, more like a teacher that would snap a metallic ruler on your fingers at the first sight of failure. The air stood still for what seemed a lifetime, before she took a step forward.

- Ordonnez repos, she quietly stated in what seemed perfectly well enounced French.

The French man nodded and turned to them.

- At ease!

- Keep standing, she sharply added, eyes on the control panel behind her desk, both hands flat on each side. I won't be long don't you wee-bit worry.

After a few gestures, she snapped her fingers two or three times quickly, muttering a name like "Laurent" and muttering more upon some damned useless junk, making the French soldier rush to her aid. He lowered the ambient light and lit up the projector which flickered a picture. A well-known picture from a HUD video camera, showing an off-road's carcass in flames on the side of a dirt road. Next to it, a large panel citing "Charming, Sanwa County", torn by what looked like burn marks.

- First of all, let me introduce myself and my "second". I am Axle. That is and will be my name until otherwise. To my left, she went on, crossing her arms, standing straight, is "Frenchy".

The picture shifted, showing a more in depth image of the town. A man, wrapped in green strings, livid and dead eyes slipping the orbits was shown.

- Most of you are not fully aware of the position you have been offered to endorse on your new tour. We are not NATO. We are not United Nations or any OGA. By coming here today you will live as international force or leave back to national best. Our mission…

The image changed again, showing a splattered skull and green goo on the wall. The body was thin, like the ones he saw while in Africa a few years back. The skin grayish, with leftovers from a abnormally large head. To almond shaped large eyelids were shut. Next to "it", stood a man in the strangest gear Jorah had ever seen. No camouflage pattern, a top of the line assault shotgun. Like a wealthy mercenary.

- Is not to stop break outs, terrorists or arrest asylum freaks. We are not part of any standalone government and we have no negotiation in any way with our adversary. What is our threat? Well you chaps have surely seen it around the news, geeky news, and conspiracies websites. We are facing a worldwide scale attack from an enemy out of Earth… That's right chaps, Aliens. All those who have no mind to throw in that way are welcome to join their former corps and forget today. To the others…

A smirk showed itself on her serious face, vile grin of her appreciating every word she came up with.

- Welcome to X-COM project…


	2. Mission First, always

He wondered why this was the one recollection he would have then. Why would it be when he first entered the European division of the Project. While his limbs regained consciousness, and his vision came back, he saw through his helmet's HUD the moon was still full and up. A weight pressed his chest. An armored weight. Shifting his head slowly to investigate, Jorah remembered slowly who it was: Sergeant Mattino. He was just there, laying with a greenish smoke coming out of his chest. Without checking his vitals, it was clear he was dead. His heavy head made it impossible to keep it lifted and when it fell back on the ground, turned to the right, the mission came back to mind.

They were a team of six, and went to Prague, to extract some scientist who's discovery and research could change somehow the defense tactics of humanity into offensive. That meant less reaction and more action. First phase had gone smoothly. In three black vans from the airport, using three different route in order to avoid the obvious convoy, the team – with each two non X-COM operators acting as chauffeurs – reached Dr Heise within the hour. But as they left the residence, information from the satellite imaging showed a light X-RAY force converging. What Command And Control had not anticipated was that the enemy was in fact already well present and tending to an ambush in which they gladly fell. From then it all became hell. It all went fast. "Spear" had quickly sent the Dr and Jorah behind cover, while "Vampire" darted to some small vantage point. He didn't even reach the other side of the road when two grenades went off. Before blacking out, he heard his team leader shout and bark orders to secure the Package. Then it went black.

Back to the present situation, the field medic heard the well-known clicking and soggy footsteps of sectoids. Awareness kicking in still at a slow rate, his right hand clasped his thigh holster and handgun. Something caught his eye on the right: Dr Heise, hidden flat under a bench, and the two aliens were going over the bodies of the operatives laid on Jorah. They hadn't seen him yet but were about to. Lifting and aiming his gun felt like carrying "Demo's" LMG, squirting a grunt out of him. Still, managed to align the sights on one head and pulled the trigger. Once, then twice, making a mess of its skull. But the recoil, the state in which he was, made the second sectoid turn around, his plasma rifle aimed at him. It seemed like a good way to die; giving one last shot in their damn ugly face. The blast came, at last, but it wasn't his brains which splattered on the ground.

- Still there Handsome?

God bless this woman. Isabella "Vampire" Garcia, team's marksman had lodged a bullet inside the alien's eye, tearing half its skull open, while the blast echoed somewhere behind the medic's position.

- I'm there Vampire. Alive I guess.

- Well keep it steady, she replied calmly, her Spanish accent lashing her English, we have MEDEVAC and EVAC on the way. You got one more on you. Can you stick out?

- Hardly. I got two bodies on me.

- I'll take the shot, you're alone.

A second blast filtered through the rumble of flames, before a fairly heavy "thud" landed on the ground near.

- Clear I'm out, they're over me! Get to…

The communication was cut short by shots fired and the radio fried. Wriggling out of his team leader, then crawling to the doctor, he grabbed the laying assault rifle, tainted with blood; red and green alike.

- What do we do now, stuttered the scientist in fear

- I… started off the Swedish operative, sitting against the bench, covering the civilian with his body, will make sure you will leave alive this damn place. I started off my emergency beacon, stay here and they will find you.

Shoving away his broken helmet, Jorah could feel his strength being at a new low. Something moved on his left, and grabbing the rifle, he aimed at what actually was a Thin man sprinting to him, snorting. He was going to gas their ass. With no other hesitation, the entire leftover of the magazine plunged in and out the extraterrestrial body, transforming the threat into cheese. But that was the end of the rifle, spent too quickly. Pulling back to backup firearm, Jorah waited, for what seemed ages, before a crack came up in his earpiece.

- Sea lion, Sea lion, this is Black Bandit Actual, is anyone still on site?

Finally.

- Black Bandit… This is Handsome, follow my beacon. Package is secure. Over…

- Roger five on five Handsome, what's the body count?

Terrible question. He had not taken the pulse of any operative, despite the obvious fact of having lost at least 3 out of 5.

- Count is… Minus two. Three others missing.

- Roger. Great to hear you. Don't move, stay Handsome!

The voice wasn't the pilot's anymore. He knew the voice. As he recollected it was the Captain's, the howling engines of the Skyranger flew right over him, ropes dropping on each side. A few seconds later, six figures were on the ground and ropes. On four of the helmet's back, was card symbol: Club, Diamond, Spade and Heart. The fifth exhibited an axle. Securing all around, "Spade" turned over and checked Jorah's status.

- Yep, he's still handsome Cap', she said jokingly. Move I need Mister Doc'.

- Secure an angle Handsome, added the leading officer, throwing a small bag containing magazines. Spare'em you only got four.

- Yes ma'am, simply complied the field medic, motioning for both the bag and a standing position.

- Cap', Big Sky Three. Area is ice for now. Looking for LZ close. Hundred meters.

- Got it Big Sky Three. Handsome, Chambers, bag the boys. We'll grab the other two later. Still one missing.

They took the personal body bag of the dead operatives and rolled them in it.


	3. Mission First, always (ending)

- Black Bandit… This is Handsome, follow my beacon. Package is secure. Over…

- Roger five on five Handsome, what's the body count?

Terrible question. He had not taken the pulse of any operative, despite the obvious fact of having lost at least 3 out of 5.

- Count is… Minus two. Three others missing.

- Roger. Great to hear you. Don't move, stay Handsome!

The voice wasn't the pilot's anymore. He knew the voice. As he recollected it was the Captain's, the howling engines of the Skyranger flew right over him, ropes dropping on each side. A few seconds later, six figures were on the ground and ropes. On four of the helmet's back, was card symbol: Club, Diamond, Spade and Heart. The fifth exhibited an axle. Securing all around, "Spade" turned over and checked Jorah's status.

- Yep, he's still handsome Cap', she said jokingly. Move I need Mister Doc'.

- Secure an angle Handsome, added the leading officer, throwing a small bag containing magazines. Spare'em you only got four.

- Yes ma'am, simply complied the field medic, motioning for both the bag and a standing position.

- Cap', Big Sky Three. Area is ice for now. Looking for LZ close. Twenty meters.

- Got it Big Sky Three. Handsome, Chambers, bag the boys. We'll grab the other two later. Still one missing.

They took the personal body bag of the dead operatives and rolled them in it. Lifting the dead weights of the fallen ones, the field medic remembered to grab their spare dogtag.

Not the best thing to do, but mission comes first. It always has. While wrapping his team leader, Jorah felt a shiver, an icy thought. All of them died for one man to make it back to Operation Command. It only took a couple of minutes for the preparations to be ended. It was shortly followed by the roars of the Skyranger's engines. Following the Commander's orders, the bodies were lifted inside the metallic hull, at the end of the cargo hold. When the fourth member of the first team was hauled into the ship, Jorah spun around, observing the Area. Still wishing some crazy Spanish woman would burst out of a windows, a street, le voice of the Commander called him back.

- Handsome! We have a bad wind upon us. Get your ass inside!

One step on the ramp, and static hit the radio traffic. That voice Jorah thought he had last heard after his life was saved.

- Don't you leave me here Swedish boy! I'm coming with friends. Rear Skyranger.

And as expected from the medic, the woman bolted through a ground floor window, smashing the glass, before sprinting until the ship's hull. As she entered the cargo bay, "Clubs" took a knee at the edge of the rear door.

- Take us home pilot, he announced in his grave Nigerian voice. I got this.

And he did. The sectoid alien only had time to realize the ship was lifting up, that a full blast of high powered hollow point LMG 7,62mm rounds tore the body to shreds, messing the exterior wall with its insides. Panting but kicking, Isabella shoved herself against the inside hull, her hand still gripping her scoped rifle.

- God damn it Handsome, aren't you a gentleman, leaving a woman without a ride, she joked.

The medic laughed, nervously, but something made the joke even more unrealistic. The colonel came out of the cockpit and watched the two operators, before calling them out.

- Alright. We have an hour's time flight. Get chow, get cleaned, you'll have four hours for my report. Full debriefing after I read it.

She sighed.

- X COM HQ also will send in a couple of days, some Internal affairs to debrief you –again – upon tonight's events. Get your story straight, facts right and above all else… Don't miss a detail and don't lie.

A common "yes ma'am" and the rest of the flight fell silent. What was there to tell? Nothing much, and so both Isabella and Jorah took out their notepads and started recollecting the events that lead to the success of the mission despite the losses. Arrived at the base, forensics and coroners were waiting and jumped aboard to take care of the fallen ones. Base doctor teams waited to check quickly on the injured and returning. Casting them aside tough, The Sea Lion remaining team members marched directly to a hot shower and their desk. Neither felt like eating. Usually was this way for Jorah. Home coming after a mission didn't open his appetite. As for Isabella, even though emotion outbreak wasn't much of her strongpoint, losing that many friends and comrades, did affect her more, far more than she would ever admit, therefore food could not get through.

Both of them knew what was coming next, aside from the report, debrief and internal affairs: psych follow-up. What was odd in all this was Internal affairs. Never saw them, much less heard of them. Never the less, Jorah sat and wrote down the full detailed report of "School bus". Proofread and printed, the sergent took a shower, welcome one too, before heading to the commander's office. Arriving to the office, the commander's voice came out, and not in a pleasant way.

- This is not how we work! We do NOT send in probes! We are a strike force not some random Gr…

- Commander, cut a slowed down toned voice, please remember that you are effectively working for us. We fund you and ask that you do not question our methods. Your teams have carried a great job during this mission. The element is safe, that is all we ask: mission's accomplishment.

- We know very well that this was not supposed to end this way. Had we send the Aces.

- Had you sent your so called "Aces" commander, we would not know of the new methods the extraterrestrials are orchestrating against Humanity… We have one a battle tonight.

- And I lost good people, answered bitterly the Scottish commander.

- Remember commander, that all is fair in war. We await your reports.

- Sure.

After a short silence, the field medic knocked on the door, which was answered by a very calm, yet contained in anger "Come in"

- The… Report ma'am.

- Good lad, put it on the desk. Had chow and hot water?

- Yes ma'am. Plenty of both.

- Good. I'm listing you for psych' appointments, so is Vampire.

- Ma'am, hestitated the Swedish operative, with all due respect, we both have seen our share of death.

- Protocol Handsome she sighed. I got to have approval to get you back in boots.

As he left the room after saluting the Commander she called him out.

- Handsome!

- Ma'am?

- Whatever you could have heard… It is none of your business. Clear?

- Crystal ma'am.

- Now scram. Have some rest. You made a terrific job keeping the lab squeak alive.

- Thank you ma'am… But it's your Alpha dogs and yourself that saved our asses.

She nodded with the shadow a smile, and hushed Jorah away with a gesture. She never smiled, and that hint of it, made it more valuable than anything else. Some kind of approval worth a thousand recommendations. They didn't get any of these anyway. They didn't even ask for it.

Some men accomplish Hell's journey for the sake keeping it at bay for others.


End file.
